Posts in Health Psychology

Abstract The flaws in today’s healthcare systems and practices are well-documented: millions remain far from optimal health due to a variety of psychological and social factors; large numbers of patients do not fully cooperate with medical advice; errors in medical decision-making—some stemming from flaws in interpersonal relations—regularly lead to needless suffering and death. Further, the effects of emotions, personality, and motivation on healing…

Mark Dombeck, Ph.D. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; - from Robert Frost s The Road Not Taken Now that October is here I m beginning to believe that the Fall is upon us. The leaves are turning colors and the air has become finer and colder. This is the time of year for School. What better time of year…

A master s degree in psychology is a graduate-level degree that often takes between two and three years beyond the bachelor s degree to complete. Like the bachelor s degree, students can usually choose between a Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Science (M.S.) in psychology. Jobs at the master s level are far more plentiful than those at the bachelor s level, which is why this is one of the most popular degree options. While some master s programs…

There s something different, psychologically different, about health care. Debates about reforming the way we get medical treatment (and the ways we pay for it) can get a bit otherworldly (to my mind) if they try to pretend that this difference doesn t exist. Sheer economic and public policy reasoning just doesn t take some very important things into account. Here s how I put it once: Imagine that if you wanted to buy a car, you were required to first…

This field aims to promote positive health behaviours and reduce harmful health behaviours such as poor dietary habits, smoking, alcohol and other drug abuse, and physical inactivity. It aims to reduce risk factors associated with chronic conditions such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer and injuries. Health psychologists work with other health professionals and advise on attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that contribute to ill health…

Same But Different In some ways we are all the same. We all have the same human nature. We share a common humanity. We all have human bodies and human minds, we all have human thoughts and human feelings. Yet in other ways we are all completely different and unique. No two people are truly alike. No two people can ever have the same experience of life, the same perspective, the same mind. Even identical twins are unique in this respect: twin number…

Robert A. Moss Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital Moss, R. A. (2013). A clinical biopsychological theory of loss-related depression. International Journal of Neuropsychotherapy, 1 (2), 56-65. doi: 10.12744/ijnpt.2013.0056-0065 Abstract Opponent-process theory has been discussed in relation to a number of behaviors, including addiction. More recently, it has been suggested that this theory plays a primary role in explaining loss-related depression symptoms…